Slap on the wrist from French Customs!

Conspiracy theory

It's a conspiracy by the authorities to distract us in a sea of paper so that we have no time to prepare for sea, thus making work for their emergency services, keeping the boys in jobs.

They then charge us when they have to rescue us because we can't find the ship's compass among all the papers, or hit rocks because we're too busy filling in forms, or just that we spent so such time reading all the regulations that we had no time left to learn about how to sail boats and work out what common sense and seamanship involve. They're not stupid!
 
Now you see why I posted it ....

I actually do have a folder like it .... loose leaf plastic envelopes into bound cover ... so that each slides in / out as required !! OOH LA LA !!

I left being a ships officer for reasons of mountains of paperwork and the fun had gone out of it ... I got fed up with stamping / signing this and that document .. that the passage plan had to ok'd by me and all that ... every little thing had to be written down .... and to cap it all >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> IF we wanted to discipline a crew-member we had to give verbal warning ... so many times, a written warning so many times and THEN we could dock his pay to a fine !! We couldn't call him what he was !! We had to be "nice" ..... yeh my a...e !!

Sorry getting a bit carried away there !!

So there we are a seemingly complete yacht docs folder - that is now blatantly NOT complete !!

Oh dear ....
 
SSR blue book ..... Life-raft - flares ...

Now this is the clever bit .....

If you look carefully you can slit the inside fold edge of the clear plastic and the new card will when carefully edge trimmed slide in .... viola !! The back of the card is same as the old except for the address - so a careful colour scan and that goes in as well opposite !!

So you CAN still have a blue book !!

Life raft - aint got one !!

Flares - tend to keep old and new !!

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Why sorry ????

I have no problem with your post .... so no need to be sorry at all ...

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Re: Why sorry ????

wasnt really sorry, just being polite 4 a change /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
i also keep most of my ood flares
buy the new ones ( with a year to go ) from the liferaft service man oodles 4 10 squids /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Re: Conspiracy theory

govements are forced by brussels to sell to sharks profitable enterprises such as motorways and train services,
The italians have for long been fining their motorists now the French?? i will see when back!!! are fining "rich" motorboats for nothing!! at least as i read it,

I may well spend my sailing days on rivers and canals untill they to become controled in a political way

Im sure the French wont stop a normal boat sailing normaly, perhaps they may thing ones stolen???though---better a classic wooden boat than a plastic super strong and safe sail boat??with extra comfort. but plastic? nothing left to do in harbour,perhaps thats why t------
 
[ QUOTE ]

About the proof law that you mention: nearly every legal system in the world has a basic principle that a person is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. If this presumption is reversed just because you happen to use a pencil instead of a pen, then gawd help the French legal system!

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry SImon I may have used an incorrect wording, of course usually one is presumed innocent, but I think the legal "logic" /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif works like:
a skipper is responsible for what happens onboard, he/she must take all possible measures to ensure the safety of the crew
-->
suppose a skipper goes to the sea, then a storm is forecast and he makes no entry on the logbook; then a serious accident happens to someone aboard, then they are back on land... and in court:

with an entry on the logbook saying: "storm forecast, briefed crew, reduced sail, lifejackets on" the court would most probably believe the skipper did everything he could to preserve the safety of crew and boat, so he would be cleared of any fault

without an entry in the logbook, it would be up to the skipper to prove he did everything correctly, otherwise he would be personally responsible for the accident

it might be oversimplifying, but anyway a logbook is probably the "heaviest" proof one can bring into a court /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
Re: So to all those out there ..... check this out ...

I believe the most important one is the ORIGINAL invoice for the boat demonstrating VAT paid is missing from your list. Yes I know it should be only a matter for the UK VAT office and the VAT could have been reclaimed but my understanding is that they zoom in on ORIGINAL boat registration document and Invoice/Bill of Sale.

Can anyone out there advise please?
 
Re: Conspiracy theory

It seems each country has its own particular hot topic. In the UK its an obsession with fining motorists for speeding (while its inappropriate speed that causes accidents)

In France it seems to be boat documentation as although I have never been stopped or asked I have noticed an increasing number of officials in French Marinas this year (I posted in June about on the spot fines in Carteret) it just appears they have been so busy taking people in their cars to withdraw the cash for the fine they havn't got round to me YET!
 
Yes it happened to me last time also. The French Customs guys [cheeky blighters] said that I was old enough and ugly enough and that I should know better.

I replied that, "The last time I visited, I did not need to do all this rubbish and didn't need a passport either, and that no Frenchman complained then or threatened to fine me then."

"When was this?" one of them said,
My reply was, "1945."

They shut up then and sent me on my way.
 
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